The Pope's Exorcist
starring Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe and Franco Nero
screenplay by Michael Petroni and Even Spiliotopoulos
directed by Julius Avery
Rating: ♦♦♦♦◊
Based on the An Exorcist Tells His Story, and An Exorcist: More Stories by Fr. Gabriele Amorth. I liked this movie. It was a scary, supernatural thriller based on the life and experiences of a real Vatican exorcist. Fr. Amorth is an earthly priest with a sense of humor, who rides around on a scooter. But he’s deadly serious about his work who occasionally suffers doctrinal and personality conflict with the Church hierarchy.
In The Pope’s Exorcist, Fr. Amorth is called to a former monastery in Spain that is now converted to a private home - an extremely run-down, neglected, and therefore spooky property. During repairs and renovations to the building, the American owners are experiencing frightening disturbances and so, like in The Exorcist (1973, directed by William Friedkin, featuring Linda Blair), they call on a priest for help. Or, rather, a demon who is possessing the family’s son orders them to call a priest. And, not just any priest, but Fr. Amorth himself. That in itself is disturbing. The idea that the demon has uncanny knowledge about Fr. Amorth is disturbing. It transpires that the demon’s intention is to possess Fr. Amorth so that it can corrupt the Church from within - sort of like what's already happening with the continuing, endemic sex scandals there.
With the assistance of an inexperienced local priest, Fr. Amorth learns the name of the demon, which allows the two to perform a successful exorcism. The Pope then assigns the two to pursue similar exorcisms at a number of other known spiritually troubled locations. Could that mean a series of similar films in the future? Hollywood loves a sequel. Sequels are successful movies are gold mines.
There is an interesting struggle going on here between tradition and modernity. Modern, educated priests and Church leaders want to downplay the Church’s history of exorcisms in favor of a more metaphorical and scientific interpretation of these phenomena, while Fr. Amorth’s belief is thoroughly Orthodox on these matters. The exorcist has the support of the Pope, which shields him somewhat from interference by less orthodox churchmen.